Storm cut power, cause minor damage in N. Illinois

CHICAGO — Severe weather raked parts of northern Illinois overnight, leaving thousands of homes and businesses without power and causing minor flooding as heavy rain fell across the region.

About 5,000 ComEd customers were without power Wednesday morning in northern Illinois. Most of the outages were concentrated around Chicago's south suburbs. Meanwhile, roughly 2,100 Ameren Illinois customers were also in the dark.

Mike Bardou, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville, said nearly two inches of rain fell in about an hour at Midway International Airport. Hail was reported near Pontiac and some viaducts and underpasses flooded. Strong wind gusts, which reached about 60 mph, caused damage in Grundy and LaSalle counties.